Grandmother's Prayers - A Heritage of Faith and Intercession
By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar
The strength in the prayers of our grandmothers is something some of us will never fully understand until we look back and see just how far away home used to be or count every near miss among our blessings received. Many of the opportunities we've had, doors that opened when all seemed lost, and protections in moments of danger were likely the result of answered prayers from a praying grandmother who spent countless hours kneeling in intercession on our behalf.
The prayers of grandmothers are intertwined with life itself. For those who never knew their own grandmothers, know that she prayed for you before you were even born. Her prayers reached forward in time and over generations yet to come. It's a comforting thought, isn't it? Mind-boggling to comprehend that long before you even took your first breath, you were being prayed for—not just regarding your health or what the future held for you, but also about the depth of your connection with the Creator.
As a child, I used to listen to my grandmother pray every morning and night. Her supplications seemed to last an eternity, with every word and request spoken in detail. She never forgot a single name, offering a prayer for each sibling, and even mentioning my children before they were born. Her prayers were like a never-ceasing river, nourishing the soil of our lives as we took root and grew stronger in faith.
Those prayers were more than just words; they were a lifeline. Her prayers were the hand of God reaching into heaven and grabbing hold of me. They were our roots, deep and solid like those of an old tree, holding us together in a world that often seemed to move at random. My grandmother, and her mother before her, each faced challenges, yet they persisted in prayer. Our hearts and communities are crying out for that same lineage of prayer, for this unbroken chain of intercession.
In an ever-fast-moving and disconnected world, we have forgotten the power of prayer and the solace discovered in a grandmother’s whispered words. We are robbing our hearts and communities of so much by neglecting ongoing prayer for our babies, toddlers, and generations to come. The noise of the world has distracted us, and we have forgotten how to find quiet strength. We may have lost our prayer lives, but it is never too late to restore them.
Yet the Creator has never overlooked us. The prayers of grandmothers, praying mothers, and fathers are never wasted. God listens—oh yes, He does! Love, the love that made you, is like the sun; it always shines bright and hot. Our grandmothers' prayers were invitations for seeds to be sown in the fertile soil of this love, and today we feast on the blessings, mercy, grace, and favor that are calling our names.
We must remember to keep this process going. The prayer needs to be carried on, not just for ourselves but also for those who will come after us. We must be the ones who stand in the gap, crying out before the Creator on behalf of our children, their children, and those yet to be born. The future depends on it.
To live off a grandmother's prayers is to sit in the shade of a giant tree, its roots buried deep and wide, its branches sturdy enough for shelter. Whether or not this sapling grows into a strong tree depends on whether we also water it with our own prayers, further cultivating that soil of faith for ourselves. Otherwise, the shade will begin to recede, and the strength in it will decrease. Those who came before us, and those yet to come, deserve for us to uphold this tradition.
I am calling on you, my dear readers. You are the prayer warrior for your family, your loved ones, and everyone else who has no one to pray for them. May your prayers be a lighthouse, shining on the dark path of others, so that no matter how hard it is to see ahead, it can illuminate just enough to take one step after another. May your faith be like the roots of that old tree, magnanimous and true, offering strength for others to hold.
There is more—it is not only what we pray now but the heritage we leave behind. What legacy of faith will we leave for our children and grandchildren to stand on? One that can withstand the trials of life, or one that will crumble at the first sign of difficulty? This is about ensuring their connection to the Creator never wanes but grows stronger with every generation we build.
Today, I implore you, mothers—take up the fervent prayer mantle. In the whirlwind of your days, in the hustle and bustle, take a moment to be still. Pour out your hearts, praying for peace to come. Even those who have not yet taken human form will need your prayers. The world they will enter and the reality that awaits them is electrified at the highest levels of our unity. There, and only there, will we find the strength and insight to pray for stronger growth and spiritual power.
Think of your grandmother's prayers as an heirloom, a trinket passed down from one generation to another. To possess the power to dictate the future is worth more than gold, rarer than jewels. Let not this treasure be lost. Instead, enhance it and pay it forward. Let our prayers stand as a shield, a measuring rod, a pointer for future generations.
Times have changed, and they continue to change rapidly. However, the necessity of prayer remains constant. My grandmothers prayed with the skilled hands of a gardener, nurturing fragile buds into strong branches. Now it is up to us to tend to that garden, watering it with our prayers and harvesting it with our faith.
The power of prayer is not something confined to years gone by—it lives and breathes today, just as it always has for our grandmothers. When you speak to God in prayer, it does not echo into nothingness but reverberates through the very mind of the Creator, sowing seeds that will sprout long after you are gone.
So, let us not be complacent. We must not forget the teachings of our grandmothers. May we be the ones to keep up this tradition, like those who have held the torch of faith for us all these years. May we also intercede on behalf of our loved ones, our families, and our communities with that same zeal and love! We must ensure that the line of communication with God remains open and that this heritage of prayer does not die on our watch.
Going forward, may you be stirred to pray with the same fervency as those who came before us. May your prayers bring strength and well-being for all the ages to come. And may the Master of this house continue to guard you in all your ways.
Ancient prayers rise,
Directing hearts through storm and calm
Legacy of light.
Let us be the prayer warriors for our children—so that they and their offspring may one day live off ours.
😢 💧
I'm 🙊 speechless.....